of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



135 



The increase in cod was from 2843^ cwts. in the first five years to 

 4383f cwts. in the second five years ; ling increased from 230 to 

 1051|^cwts., saithe from 140 to 578^, hake from 68 to 850, and whitings 

 from 186 to 627f. Haddocks also showed a small increase from 16,063| 

 cwts. to 16,880i cwts. 



Among flat-fishes, turbot increased from 78^ to 154|- cwts., halibut 

 from 16g to 118, brill from 'i\ to 8^, dabs from 19^ to 41, witches from 

 377^ to 798f, and megrims from 27^ to 617^. Lemon soles decreased 

 slightly, from 576|- to 536, and plaice decreased fi-om 2686|- to 856 cwts. 



It has been already stated that without information as to the places 

 where the fish were caught in the various years, these statistics cannot 

 be used in connection with the question of the impoverishment of 

 fishing grounds. But, putting this aside, and regarding merely the 

 quantity of fish landed by these steam-trawlers irrespective of the 

 place of capture or the nature of the trawl used, it will be found that 

 the aggregate quantity was greater in recent years than earlier. In the 

 iowv years 1891-94 the four steam-trawlers Nos. III. -VI. landed an 

 aggregrate of 72,409 cwts. of fish, while in the four years 1897-1900 

 they landed 86,837 cwts., or 14,428 cwts. more. To those who look 

 upon the gross supply as the best test of the prosperity of tlie fisheries, 

 irrespective of how or where the fish are obtained, these lesults must 

 appear satisfactory. Besides the employment of more eflicient apparatus 

 and the opening up of new grounds, another factor has helped to 

 swell the total. It is now customary, as the detailed tables show, to 

 bring to market the smaller fishes of several kinds, e.g. haddocks, which 

 in previous yeais used to be thiown oveiboard. 



IV. — Comparison op the Catches of Steam Trawlers from Different 

 Areas in the North Sea. 



With the view of ascertaining the areas in which the fish were 

 caught, particulars as to the places of fishing were obtained throughout 

 last year from a number of Aberdeen trawlers, as explained in the fore- 

 going pages. The number of vessels which furnished tliis information 

 was 105, but some of them did so only dvuing a part of the year, while 

 from others it was obtained during the whole year. The number of 

 voyages or landings recorded was 1846, out of a total number for the 

 port of 8390 — the percentage thus being 22. Of these 1846 records, 

 fifty-five were omitted, 22 because the fish were caught outside the limits 

 of the North Sea (12 Iceland, 2 Faroe, 1 Bay of Biscay, 7 Noith or 

 West Coast) ;* 25 because the fish were caught at places in two or more 



* In order to farnish an indication of how the Icelandic catches affect the statistics, 

 I append here five consecutive landings in July (in cwts). 



t The vessel was seven days on the ground ; hours fishing not given. 



I Three weeks' voyage ; the actual fishing was said to be 31 hours, the vessel Ijing to in order 

 to split and salt the cod. 



The percentage of cod in these Iceland shots is thus 67, of haddocks 22, whiting and 

 ling 0-3 each, halibut 4*3, and plaice and witches each 17, 



The landing from the Bay of Biscay, representing 48 hours' fishing, consisted of 

 282 c-wts., comprising 271 cwts. of hake, 8 cwts. of rays, J cwt. conger eels, J cwt. black 

 soles, f cwt. turbot, 2 cwts. John Dory, 6 mullets, 17 bream, and 1 electric ray. 



